Because essentially every business worldwide can purchase some type of product or service from the linen, uniform and facility services industry, its performance usually mirrors gross economic production. In a single country, the industry may outperform the domestic economy, but its volume likely rises and falls in line with the nation’s gross domestic product. Such outperformance, in growing or declining economies, often hinges on how well the industry’s operators pivot to serving strengthening businesses and retreat from those with shrinking customer bases or numbers of employees.

In 2019, TRSA engaged the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to assess global textile services ...